TURN on the news at the moment and there is little to lift the spirits. There are earthquakes in Japan, riots in London, economic crises in Europe, and as for war, well you can take your pick from any number of flashpoints around the world.

How then, are we expected to remain happy in the face of such relentless gloom, and what gives us the right to expect to be happy in such a world?

Perhaps then it is timely that tomorrow will see the launch of a national movement aimed at telling us why finding happiness is important for our mental and physical wellbeing and how to find happiness when it seems in such short supply.

As Action For Happiness launches, we spoke to Joanna Taylor, a Scarborough-based clinical hypnotherapist and life coach, on how to put a smile on your face, and it seems the answer could be as simple as the advice in the well-known Monty Python song – Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life.

Joanna said: “If we wake up and decide we are going to have a bad day, then we will have bad day, because our unconscious mind looks for evidence to support what we believe.

“You have to think ‘I’m going to have a good day’ then you will go out to find evidence to make it a good day.

Gratitude is important too,” she says. “People are grumpy because they focus on what they don’t have. Even if you have very little you can still focus on some of the good things you have.

“The only time you can feel happy is in the moment. If you are spending your time worrying about things that are days or weeks off, then it affects your whole body and worry leads to stress – and what is likelihood of these things happening anyway?

“The main point is to notice when you are doing it – it’s a habit you get into, but by being able to identify it yourself you can change that strategy. Instead of ‘what iffing’ negativity you can ‘what if’ positively’.”

But surely nobody can expect to be happy all the time, with all the things life throws at us. Over to Mark Williamson, director of the Action For Happiness movement.

“That’s absolutely right – living a happy life doesn’t mean that we will always be happy,” he said.

“We all experience low points of suffering, disappointment and sadness along the way. And it’s certainly not helpful to put a positive spin on everything and pretend that things are fine, if they’re clearly not.

“What really matters is how we react to the difficult times and how they influence our long-term level of happiness. As you might expect, our long-term happiness is affected by our genes and our upbringing, which play crucial roles in shaping our outlook on life. But we can also have a very significant impact on our long-term happiness by the way we approach our lives.”

Mark said the latest psychology research suggested that as much as 40 per cent of our happiness can be determined by our attitude and choices, rather than our genes, upbringing or life circumstances.

“So although we can’t control the fact that bad things will happen, we can choose the way we respond to these things and therefore the effect they have on our overall feelings about our lives. In simple terms, Action For Happiness is about encouraging the shift to a happier society.

“That means a society where more people are leading happy, balanced and fulfilling lives and fewer people are leading unhappy lives where they feel trapped, unloved or unfulfilled.

“However, although the idea is simple, achieving this will require a big cultural change – one that challenges all of us to live in a way that prioritises the things that matter most.”

He said: “Ultimately, we want to help create a society that puts people’s overall happiness first, rather than focusing just on economic growth."


Ten key ways to happier living

TO get us thinking and acting positively, Action For Happiness has created a downloadable Happiness Action Pack, with exercises and tips on how to find contentment.

The movement has developed what it calls the Ten Keys To Happier Living, which it says is based on a review of scientific research relating to happiness.

It acknowledges that everyone’s path to fulfilment is different, but the research suggests these ten things consistently tend to have a positive impact on people’s overall happiness and well-being.

The first five relate to how we interact with the outside world in our daily activities.

• Do things for others

• Try to relate to others and connect with people

• Take care of your body

• Appreciate and notice the world around

• Keep learning new things.

The second five come more from inside us and depend on our attitude to life.

• Have goals to look forward to

• Be resilient and find ways to bounce back

• Take a positive approach

• Accept yourself and be comfortable with who you are

• Be part of something bigger; do some charity or voluntary work.

If you would like to know more or download the Happiness Action Pack, visit www.actionforhappiness.org